WILTSHIRE rider Anne Dunham believes that Great Britain’s unprecedented success in Paralympic equestrian makes it even harder for them to triumph all over again this summer.

Team GB have claimed team dressage gold at every Games since it was first introduced in 1996 and will be favourites to make it six titles on the trot in Rio.

Worton’s Dunham has been named in the British team to try to secure that feat in Brazil, with the 67-year-old returning to the Paralympics after an eight-year absence, having missed out on selection for London 2012.

Dunham has claimed seven Paralympic medals since making her debut at Atlanta 20 years ago, including five golds, but reckons that another is far from a guarantee for her and GB team-mates Natasha Baker, Sophie Christiansen, Lee Pearson and Sophie Wells in Brazil.

“If anything, that previous success gives us more pressure,” said Dunham.

“It’s much easier to climb to the top than it is to try to stay there once you are there.

“We have been a very good team for a long time and we have never been beaten in a team event but that gives everyone else more hunger to try to beat us.

“We have got a strong team and we know we will go there and perform well but we know that the rest of the world are performing well too from what we have seen from them in competitions right around the world.

“It will be a tough Games and we have to make sure we go there and are right at the top level that we can be.”

The British equestrian team bound for Brazil can boast 13 Games’ worth of experience between them and a shared haul of 30 Paralympic medals, while the nation also have an unbeaten record on the European and World stage.

That gives them a sizeable psychological advantage over the rest of the field but Dunham says nothing is being left to chance as they look to continue their golden sequence.

“We will go there with a bit of confidence but we can’t be too confident,” said Dunham.

“We are sure we are sending the best people for the job but you never know what the horses will do – it’s a long trip and they might not adjust to it.

“And you never know what the judges might say either. Although they are all trained to see the same thing, they can see things differently.